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Thursday 28 January 2010

White ? are you crazy ???

OK .. cabin fever has hit along with a chest cold from hell .. mix the two and you have a certifiable CRAZY woman here .. rushing through a post I had originally spent much more time on than this fire cracker post of insanity .. go figure ? it is SNOWING out there ;-(
My question is .. have you noticed that you have more "white" plants in Spring and early summer than the following time of year ? .. I noticed when I started to go through my pictures.
White is a colour to me .. I don't care what it is scientifically .. a prism of all colours ? or something like that ? .. I faintly remember something in school along those lines.
These two couldn't make up their mind what time of year it is .. so why not go for the gold ?
My beauties .. and I have collected about 6 now .. well they are such a wonderful surprise with faint scent and gorgeous flower heads .. who couldn't love them ?
One perfectly white flower shines against non white ones doesn't it ?
This sedum did catch my eye .. normally I go with the beautiful pink/rose coloured ones .. but there was something about this one ?
OK .. I had to put Little Lamb in here again because she was my first : )
Diamond Frost euphorbia caught my attention .. it is so fresh and clean looking .. I will need to have it again this year .. and it was perfect on its own .. no supporting cast for this girl !
But company is nice on the side ?
Casa Blanca is such perfection in white .. my first lily and my first love with a lily .. then Stargazer came along and now I am loving her as well : )
Formosa Lily .. such a surprise .. such a huge flower for a little plant and it looks like it is twisted as a peppermint treat ?
The promise of white coneflowers .. I have so many of them but the beginning of them seemed to
fit ... not over shadowing the "other white" flowers (aka "other white meat" commercial ;-)
Quick Fire hydrangea .. caught in early bloom .. it is a beauty : )
A single white astilbe .. just beginning .. perfection against all the green ?
White lavender ... another pleasant surprise .. it lasted so long and was gorgeous !
Come on .. stop groaning .. white petunias are pretty !!
White daisy .. "spoon" is in the name but being that my head is on another planet this morning .. take it from there ?
Husker's Red ... not too much red here but I do love those flowers !
My favorite picture of them all .. this little white carpet rose .. it is so hard to take a well defined picture of a white plant .. it flashes back at you with its great big white grin ?
So I cross my fingers every time I do take pictures of white flowers .. I think I did pretty well !

Now why on earth would I do a "white" post in the middle of winter .. again .. it is called

CABIN FEVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and going with the flow ??

26 comments:

Carol said...

Lovely white blooms and post! The Magnolia stellata I mentioned in your last post... would be a great addition to this post... ;>))

Skeeter said...

Now this is the white I like to see during the winter! Great posting of white which does not make me feel cold.... Hope your nasty sickness takes off soon. Cabin fever is one thing but a cold on top of it is surely no fun.... Get well soon!!!

Barry said...

Joy:
I will admit to being concerned, a white post in winter and all.... but this was a wonderful foray into a colour that is sorely lacking from my garden. I love seeing Sissinghurst's White Garden in late Spring!

I have a lovely Veronica that is white and Pinky Winky starts off white, and Miss Cypripedium has white on her flower.... but otherwise, not a lot of white. I will have to rectify this problem in the coming year. But sadly, no white Petunias for me!!!

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

You have the most beautiful and healthy flowers. The whites are so pretty and I do try to have them in my yard but its not nearly as beautiful as your garden(-: I think its to hot here for white flowers unless they are in the shade.
I am planning my next project while I wait for Spring. Its involving lots of rocks! I feel my back aching already(-: I might start collecting them asap even if I just pile them up so when the weather is good I can work.(-:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

White goes with any season.

Anonymous said...

Dear Joy, I have SO enjoyed these wonderful pictures together with your entertaining comments. For me this posting is perfection as white is absolutely my favourite colour.

In my own London garden I try, where possible, to restrict my overall colour scheme to white and green [just occasionally rogue colours creep in] so, as you may imagine, your plants have great appeal.

I discovered your site through Blotanical and I shall look forward to returning.

Unknown said...

I fell in love with your site. We must be kindred souls! I love Halloween, have eight cats, gargoyles, and white flowers. I also have a lovely garden, although not so much right now (it's bare in January in North Carolina!) You also inspired me to create my own website.

Barbee' said...

Oh, I looove white flowers and am partial to them, even white petunias! I surely enjoyed looked at all the white collection photos. They do look cool don't they. Good idea for a post.

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

I have noticed a lot more white flowers in my yard over the past couple of years. They really do "pop" against the leaves in the background.
I guess if you have to see white outside you might as well see white that represents something warm! :)

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

Hiya Joy! Love these photos. I'm especially fond of the lily. Oh, how I those those flowers. And I really like white; one of my favourite shades for flowers, no matter if it's a colour of not.

I got your email and chuckled through it. I always enjoy when you pop one over to my mailbox. It's always animated and full of spirit. No matter what you're feeling or how you're doing, you have a wonderful temperament.

I'm working on an email back to you (eventually I'll finish it...lol). I will write a little about my overly-friendly neighbour in this one. Can you say TOO social... I shudder thinking about it!

Hope you're feeling better soon! I'll be in your mailbox shortly...:)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Carol girl you are really trying to sell me on the magnolia aren't you ?LOL .. Hey .. I am going to do a post on just sky pictures soon .. some amazing clouds etc .. I just can't help myself ? ;-)

Skeeter girl !thank you : ) I just look at those pretty dishes you sent me last year and I think SPRING ! .. the coughing and blowing of the nose is becoming a royal pain but I will survive right ? mean while I post crazy posts .. haha

Pats .. I just knew you would moan about the darn petunias I slipped in .. so I was ready for that one ? LOL Pinky and Quick Fire along with Little Lamb look amazing in their pure white garb .. perfection almost .. you must have more white in your life Pats .. now make a list !!

Cindee .. I wish I could go with you on those rock hunting trips because I do LOVE rocks too .. I could use more BIG ones so if you see any really good ones .. can you mail me a couple ? LOL
I think your heat is hard on white flowers too .. what a shame because white is such a great contrast .. especially with colourful rocks ! make sure you get pictures of where you find these rocks girl .. details !!

Lisa .. my thoughts exactly : )

Hello Edith ! Thank you so much : )
The most beautiful bouquet of flowers I have ever had in my life were of whites and greens .. my Dutch neighbor gave it to me and I so loved it .. it was stunning and yet calming at the same time .. I think that scheme can be applied in our gardens with just a dash of colour, for the other people ? LOL

Sabrina : ) you are so sweet ! thank you very much ! .. I am a bit of a nut so it does "read" in my blog that way too .. when you really love something you just can't help but say so ? Good luck with your blog .. I'd love to see how it works out !

Barbee' girl I think my cold with the sore throat made me post on white .. I needed some cool relief and by gosh it felt that way .. I had to sneak the white petunias in so I am glad you like them too !

Catherine .. I think we all need a little white in our gardens and it does foil against other plants so well .. I know I will be adding more especially in the shade areas so they will shine : )

Kyna said...

You have such beautiful white flowers! I find I tend not to plant them because my house is white. But then I do find a nice white plant, and I wonder why I don't have more of them? lol!

Darlene said...

Hi Joy I haven't been by in a while and wanted to say hi!! Sounds like you are feeling kind of crummy. Hope you feel better real soon.

I LOVE all of your beautiful white flowers. Your pictures are gorgeous as always.♥

Meadowview Thymes said...

Love white! Question for you--what is your favorite color in the garden paired with white?? :)

F Cameron said...

Ah, the purity of the blooms, so perfect. I love that white lavender! I will have to hunt it down. Seen it in some catalog recently.

Most of my white flowers are in the fragrance garden -- jasmine, gardenia, ginger, magnolia, osmanthus.

Cameron

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Joy, this post is why I LOVE white so much! The form of the blossoms really becomes important. The Formosa lily and the carpet rose are exquisite! Great post!

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

Joy, are you sure we weren't seperated at birth??? I've had a white post sitting in draft mode for weeks! Great minds continue to think alike lol. Beautiful post, you have an absolutely stunning array of blooms. The single white bloom (cosmos?) is wonderful. If I could only have one colour of flower in my garden, it would be white. :) Rebecca

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Kyna .. I would think some well placed white plants would tend to compliment your white exterior .. that it would actually tie it in with the garden a little more. I have a very pale gray home and I find dots of white connects the two together very well : )

Darlene girl ! I had been thinking of you and how you must be decorating for Valentine's Day on your blog and home too of course : ) I am coming over for a visit !! LOL

Linda .. now that is a great question and the first answer I thought of was green ! I know that sounds strange but shades of white and green are soothing I find .. if I couldn't have green I would like a very dark coloured plant .. then I would have to judge plant structures to see if they complimented each other .. I guess my brain thinks of that even before I know it ? LOL

Freda I was so amazed with this white lavender (I'll try to hunt the tag down to give you the cultivar name) its structure is strong and the blooms stay for such a long time .. it truly was a wonderful surprise .. ah yes ! white with a wonderful scent makes it perfection doesn't it ?

Hello there Ms. S ! .. there is something so attractive about white for me .. I think the memory of a stunning white rose I grew so many years ago .. the scent was amazing .. I haven't been able to pinpoint which one it is still all these years ! The Formosa lily is almost like a little clown with the flower being so huge compared to the height of the plant and foliage : ) I have to admit my favorite is a white rose but I do love them all !

Rebecca girl ! it could be possible ? wink wink .. but what kills me is I spent two nights working on a much more detailed post .. but threw it all to the wind and rushed through it just before I was going out the door .. darn it there was so much more to it ? LOL .. i wanted to do the rainbow post but I was truly over come with so many pictures .. thus the singular "white" made it a bit easier for me .. I want to see your white post girl !!
My dream (have to win the lottery firs) is to have that famous "white garden" too !! : )

Martha girl .. I just saw where you got caught up now .. some times comments get lost like that !
You have to find a little spot in your garden for these lilies .. I hate the battle with the Japanese Beetle thing .. but we can handle that right ? so Casa Blanca is one that you have to have girl !
Hey .. no worries about e-mail .. we both take it slowly but surely right ? LOL .. if that neighbor isn't banging on your door right ? LOL .. sorry girl, but it is funny ;-)

garden girl said...

Love those white blooms Joy! Many years, and a few houses ago I had an all-white garden. You've got several of my favorites there, including Diamond Frost euphorbia.

garden girl said...

p.s. hope you're feeling better soon!

*~* Linda *~* said...

forgive my ignorance but are all of those shots from your garden?? WOW!! Those are gorgeous!! They look like catalog photos! I love how you did a themed post with the white. You should keep going with other colors too :) Hey, looks like I can't get away from the ice and snow... we're getting hit tonight!! Freak winter storm coming and of course all the southerners are going berzerk preparing and discussing it like it's the Second Coming! LOL It's funny to be a former midwesterner/michiganer and listen to the people down here when the winter storms roll in. Makes me giggle a little bit. Personally, I can't wait cause I want to see what kind of pictures i can snag! :)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello gardengirl (Linda !) Thank you : ) .. and if I ever had enough room I would have an all white section for sure .. there is just something so soothing about white and green alone and together ? LOL

Yes Linda they really are all of my own plants and pictures .. I have many more but just got so overwhelmed looking at them all that I had to do some fast hard choices to get that post in at all .. there was a rainbow post following but I just couldn't keep up .. nasty cold from hell after the boys were finished with it they shared it with me ? haha
Yes .. some Canadian weather headed down there and it is funny how people react to it ? ;-)
You should get some unusual pictures maybe ? for there ? LOL
I just had to cut a mat out of Emma's back (fur) she isn't happy with me right now .. go figure ?

Diana Studer said...

I have a white lavender. Plant. For years. But haven't seen any flowers yet??!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hey there girl from the Elephant Eye Country !! LOL
I was totally amazed with my white lavender .. I didn't expect that it would do well and wow ! maybe it is a wee bit too hot in your area but lavender's love dry heat so I would think it should be great ? I wonder what cultivar it is ? give it a bit more time , so don't yank it out yet !!

Rose said...

Joy, I much prefer these whites to the white I am seeing in my yard and garden right now:) All these blooms are lovely, but you know my favorite has to be the hydrangeas. I can't seem to get enough of them!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Thank you Rose ! I would rather see these than the white stuff we do right now too : )
Hey .. I can understand a fixation on a plant .. I do love those hydrangea too .. but hellebore have been on my mind , especially since in a few months I am so curious to see if my new ones will have flowers .. ahhhhh ! Spring ? it will come won't it ?